Matt Walsh, Larry O'Connor share personal stories about Tucker Carlson



In the wake of Fox News Media's shocking Monday announcement that the network and Tucker Carlson had "agreed to part ways," some people shared stories about their own personal experiences with Tucker Carlson.

Radio host Larry O'Connor noted that Carlson once invited him over for Thanksgiving at a time when he otherwise would have had a "lonely" holiday.

"When I first moved to DC, @TuckerCarlson heard it was my first Thanksgiving away from home. I had just gone through a divorce and my kids were on the other side of the country. He invited me to his home and I enjoyed Thanksgiving with his father, his wife, his children and his dogs. They treated me like I was a part of the family. It turned what would have been a sad and lonely day into one I'll never forget. His family is full of joy and love and laughter. Tucker is the winner today," O'Connor tweeted.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire shared that Carlson had once reached out to express apprication for his work.

"Tucker sent me a text message out of the blue several years ago just to tell me he appreciates my work. I had a much lower profile back then. I didn't think he even knew who I was. He took the time to track my number down and reach out. Very few people like that in this business," Walsh tweeted.

\u201cExtremely rare that someone much higher on the totem pole will send you a word of encouragement when they stand to gain nothing from it. There are only a few people in the business who will do something like that and one of them is Tucker Carlson. Great talent and a good man.\u201d
— Matt Walsh (@Matt Walsh) 1682386934

"Tucker Carlson once called me, out of the blue, because he had heard through friends that I was going through a rough patch," tweeted Nate Hochman. "We had never spoken before, but he took 45 minutes out of his night to offer support/advice. It remains one of the most surreal experiences of my life."

\u201cOne of the most powerful men in conservative politics took the time to sit down and call some random 23 year old kid he had never met \u2014 just to tell him to hang in there, and to ask if there was anything he could do to help. It\u2019s something I will never forget\u201d
— Nate Hochman (@Nate Hochman) 1682378107

Fox News senior meterorologist Janice Dean did not provide specifics about her own experienes with Carlson, but noted that he has been kind to her.

"I've been the recipient of his kindness many times, and I've never seen or heard him do anything mean or hurtful to anyone. I've reached out to Tucker and his wife Susie to say I’m here if they need anything, because I know he would do the same for me," Dean tweeted.


\u201cI\u2019ve been the recipient of his kindness many times, and I\u2019ve never seen or heard him do anything mean or hurtful to anyone. I\u2019ve reached out to Tucker and his wife Susie to say I\u2019m here if they need anything, because I know he would do the same for me.\u201d
— Janice Dean (@Janice Dean) 1682443819

"Tucker Carlson is one of the kindest public people who helped me over the years unconditionally. I've seen him do this for others as well," journalist Andy Ngô wrote.


\u201cA good measure of character & humility in a public figure is the time they're willing to spend to help those "without status." I've encountered some who only associate as long as it benefits their brand or project. \n\nTucker Carlson is one of the kindest public people who helped\u2026\u201d
— Andy Ng\u00f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Andy Ng\u00f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1682357012

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'Lowest of the low': Looters pillage Buffalo while police are distracted saving lives and digging up bodies



For many, the blizzard that recently struck Buffalo, burying the city in 43 inches of snow and leaving tens of thousands without power, meant tragedy, particularly for the families of the 27 who perished in freezing whiteout conditions. For others, the wicked storm has meant opportunity.

Stores have been ransacked, businesses looted, and homes burgled by roving looters whom Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown has called the "lowest of the low."

Whereas some have suggested that looters were driven to crime as a result of necessity, WGRZ reported that in most cases, essential items were forgone and luxury items prioritized.

What are the details?

Since the storm hit in full force on Friday, police have been focused on saving lives, recovering the bodies of victims, and tackling the immobilizing snow, suggested Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.

Looters evidently seized upon the distraction provided by the deadly blizzard, which Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz called the "worst storm probably in our lifetime."

Numerous videos of the looters' alleged exploits have been shared to social media.

Video has been released of the Nickel City Liquor store's break-in. The owner reportedly noted that the looters responsible have "cheap and bad taste."

\u201cLast night Nickel City Liquor in Buffalo was broken into & robbed. $500 worth of alcohol stolen. \n\nOwner had to sleep there, unable to board it up. He said \u201cthey have cheap & bad taste.\u201d\u201d
— Michael Schwartz (@Michael Schwartz) 1671996686

In another video shared to Twitter, looters weighed down with ill-gotten goods can be seen pouring out of a Family Dollar store:

\u201cBlizzard in Buffalo today and......................looting.\u201d
— Veterans Taking Back (@Veterans Taking Back) 1672036047

A 7-Eleven convenience store was smashed, stripped of its products, and unwittingly turned into a bird sanctuary:

\u201cThe aftermath of mass looting today in Buffalo, NY following a storm:\u201d
— End Wokeness (@End Wokeness) 1672030470

Looters also reportedly raided Rick's Sports Apparel, smashing its windows and emptying it of items of value.

Patrick Cichocki, one of the owners of Camellia Meats, told WGRZ that looters were "breaking into the Rent to Own, they're taking TV sets."

An employee at Camellia Meats said, "It's heartbreaking. When this is all over the community will have nowhere to go to get the things they need."

Pastor Al Robinson of the Spirit of Truth Urban Ministry confirmed the community impact of this thievery, telling WKBW that the very businesses vulnerable families rely upon have been pillaged, leaving them in the lurch.

"These people, I just don't understand why they just don't care about their neighbor," said Robinson.

Police began resuming their normal duties on Monday, indicated Gramaglia, although search and rescue operations will continue.

"We have made a few arrests. We have intervened in some of those. We've assisted with at least one location that I am aware of in getting a store boarded up, so our officers are out there," said Gramaglia.

BPD spokesman Mike DeGeorge noted that police will be monitoring social media and "reviewing video and posts in an effort to make arrests."

Buffalo's mayor minced no words when calling out those responsible.

Brown said, "People who are out looting when people are losing their lives in this harsh winter storm, it's just absolutely reprehensible. I don't know how these people can even live with themselves, how they can look at themselves in the mirror."

Brown noted that the "people taking advantage of a natural disaster to take what they want from retailers" are "also potentially putting those services at risk in the communities where they are looting."

According to Daniel Neaverth Jr., commissioner of the county's Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the looting of gas stations has left a number of them inoperable. As a result, the fueling pumps are not working and first responders will be unable to fuel up, reported the Buffalo News.

"So that ambulance that is maybe just going to go a block to refuel now has to go to a facility sometimes outside of the city of Buffalo to be refueled," said Neaverth.

Poloncarz said he was "absolutely devastated to see that many deaths and then to find out that there's looting going on in our community at the same time we're still recovering bodies is just horrible."

Whereas the mayor and other community leaders have denounced the looters, Advocates for Justice attorney Nate McMurray suggested that those questioning the motives and ethics of the looters destroying local businesses should "shut up," intimating that the rampant theft of nonessential items is socio-economically justifiable.

\u201cI just saw a wealthy white guy online say about the looting in Buffalo\u2026\n\n\u201cWhy don\u2019t they take pride in their communities?\u201d\n\nDo me a favor. Move there. Live on the average income in the East Side. Survive a snowstorm without a grocery store nearby, let alone a plow. \n\nOr shut up.\u201d
— Nate McMurray (@Nate McMurray) 1672071255

Mayor Brown made clear that the criminal elements taking advantage of the tragedy that has befallen Buffalo are "not looting food and medicines, they're just looting items that they want so these aren't even people in distress; these are people that are taking advantage of a natural disaster."

Looting a problem after the blizzard youtu.be

National Review: Text messages contradict New York Times, support Bari Weiss claim that Times senior editor wanted Chuck Schumer's opinion on Tim Scott op-ed



A second source has reportedly come forward to support former New York Times opinion editor Bari Weiss' jaw-dropping claim that an editor at the Times once insisted that Democratic Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) be consulted before the paper published an op-ed by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

The New York Times has repeatedly denied the allegation. But National Review writer Nate Hochman reported Monday that a source "with direct knowledge of the matter" provided text messages from a senior New York Times editor that backed up Weiss' account and even shared the email address of Schumer spokesman Justin Goodman.

\u201cSCOOP: The NY Times has repeatedly denied @bariweiss's explosive claim that a senior NYT opinion editor insisted on "checking with" Chuck Schumer before running an op-ed by Tim Scott. But messages we've seen from a second source can confirm Weiss\u2019s story.\nhttps://t.co/ADNXlSoz4k\u201d
— Nate Hochman (@Nate Hochman) 1660409974

Last Wednesday, Weiss interviewed Scott for an episode of her podcast, "Honesty with Bari Weiss," during which she told the South Carolina lawmaker that New York Times editors in 2020 had debated whether or not to run an op-ed from Scott on police reform in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.

Weiss, who cited "constant bullying" from colleagues as a reason for her departure from the Times in July 2020, alleged that a senior opinion editor had instructed a junior colleague to consult with Schumer before publishing Scott's op-ed.

"I was at the New York Times, and you or your staff sent in an op-ed about the bill and why it fell apart," Weiss recounted. "And this is the part I’m not sure if you know — there was a discussion about the piece and whether or not we should run it, and one colleague, a more senior colleague, said to a more junior colleague who was pushing for the piece, ‘Do you think the Republicans really care about minority rights?’"

"Wow," Scott said.

"And the more junior colleague said, ‘I think Tim Scott cares about minority rights.’ And then — and here’s the pretty shocking part — the more senior colleague said, ‘Let’s check with Senator Schumer before we run it,'" Weiss continued.

"And the colleague, the younger one, refused. Because he said — because that colleague said it wasn’t an ethical thing to do," she said.

The New York Times has vehemently denied this in public comments to multiple media outlets. "New York Times Opinion never seeks outside approval or consultation whether to publish guest opinion essays," a spokesman for the Times told TheBlaze on Friday.

New York Times Communications repeated the denial in a tweet responding to Scott, who accused the paper of silencing him.

\u201c.@nytopinion does not seek outside approval or consultation before publishing anything. This is simply not how journalism works. Times Opinion publishes a wide spectrum of diverse voices, and we always welcome hearing from more.\u201d
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimes Communications) 1660348277

However, National Review reportedly obtained text messages that contradict the Times' statements and support Weiss' account. National Review's source "shared the contents of messages that contradict the Times’ statements and reaffirm Weiss’s account. They are consistent with Weiss’s recollection that a senior editor at the Times opinion page questioned whether Republicans cared about minority rights and directed a staff member to send the Scott op-ed to Schumer’s office, though the junior editor apparently did not do so," Hochman wrote Monday.

The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nate Silver buries narrative that the media is hiding Biden's great economy and liberals are melting down



Political statistician Nate Silver buried a popular argument that the media is ignoring how great the is economy under President Joe Biden and many on the left reacted with bilious anger online.

Silver pointed out that many Americans are being squeezed by high inflation that is eating into the gains made in wage growth.

"Real wages are declining and real disposable income has declined for 7 months in a row. The idea among some folks on here that voters are silly to be concerned about inflation and that Actually The Economy Is Great But The Media Won't Tell You is ridiculous," he tweeted.

To support his position, Silver posted the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing a decrease in real average wages for most workers from January to February. Also, he added a graph showing real disposable income spiking after the pandemic but dropping steadily from the middle of 2021.

Real wages are declining and real disposable income has declined for 7 months in a row. The idea among some folks on here that voters are silly to be concerned about inflation\nand that Actually The Economy Is Great But The Media Won't Tell You is ridiculous.pic.twitter.com/aMfU29GWVc
— Nate Silver (@Nate Silver) 1649167873

"This economy is creating weird distributional effects and there are certainly some winners but there are also lots of losers, e.g. people on fixed incomes or who haven't recently been able to renegotiate wages/salary," he added in a second tweet. "Not the media's doing that some people are unhappy about it."

Biden supporters were angry at Silver and lashed out at him for blowing up the anti-media narrative.

"Someone should maybe explain to Nate what the data he just shared actually shows. While the media lights it’s hair on fire over *only* the annual inflation rate, nearly 70% of the increase was offset by wage gains. This dude is a horrible analyst. Horrible," said another popular anonymous liberal tweeter.

"If the media is telling it straight, why are people so wrong about the state of the economy?" replied another critic.

"Media loves bashing Democrats on economy in name of 'both-sides'" read another tweet.

"Economy is booming massively; media ignoring it to get access to Republicans they think will win," claimed another detractor.

Economist Paul Krugman tried to argue against Silver's position, calling it a strawman argument fallacy.

"As of February 28 percent of the public had heard unfavorable news on employment, only 13 percent favorable news. Pretty amazing amid a jobs boom," said Krugman, citing a poll.

"Maybe this isn't the media's fault, just people hearing what they want to hear. Maybe it wouldn't make any difference if people knew the reality. But just dismissing the issue feels like bad faith," he concluded.

Neither included an estimate from economists that inflation would cost the average American family at least $5,200 in increased costs just this year.

Silver could have been referring to people like Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post who was lambasted for a column claiming Biden's economy is doing incredibly well as long as you ignore inflation.

Here's more about the Biden economy:

4 Disgusting Ways Bloomberg Wants You To Cope with Inflation | @Pat Gray Unleashedwww.youtube.com

Georgetown Law students ask for 'reparations' and a place to 'cry' because of Ilya Shapiro's tweets



Georgetown Law students held a sit-in demonstration on campus Tuesday to demand the immediate firing of Ilya Shapiro, a libertarian legal scholar who was recently hired as a lecturer and administrator at the school. They also called for a "reparations" package for black students to compensate them for missing class to attend the protest and asked for a safe space to "cry," requests that school administrators reportedly took seriously.

Shapiro, the vice president and director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, was put on administrative leave Monday because of a controversy regarding several tweets he posted on Jan. 26. Those tweets were critical of President Joe Biden's promise to exclusively nominate a black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Shapiro's critics accuse him of harboring racist views towards black women and are calling for his cancellation by the university. The students conducting the sit-in declared in an announcement that the school did not go far enough, and that "Shapiro's rhetoric is not welcome at Georgetown Law, period."

"A coalition of Georgetown Law Students will gather for a sit-in calling for the immediate termination of Ilya Shapiro," the Georgetown Black Law Student Association said Monday.

The sit-in was live-streamed on the BLSA's Instagram page, National Review Online's Nate Hochman reported. Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor attended and answered questions from students, along with Mitch Bailin, the Georgetown University Law Center associate vice president and dean of students; Sheila Foster, the associate dean for equity and inclusion; and Amy Uelmen, the director of the school’s “Mission & Ministry” program.

William Treanor, the dean of Georgetown Law, is front-and-center at the sit-in. Taking questions from the Black Law Students Association, he tells the crowd that he wants "to draw a line between conservatism and things that are racist." https://twitter.com/njhochman/status/1488337388636147716\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/mcGJuTeJK0
— Nate Hochman (@Nate Hochman) 1643728768

According to Hochman, Dean Treanor told the assembled students he was "appalled" by Shapiro's "painful" tweets and promised to "listen," "learn," and "do better" after hearing the complaints from students. While he emphatically apologized, he would not commit to taking further disciplinary action against Shapiro beyond investigating whether his tweets violated school policy.

“Since we’re a private institution, the First Amendment doesn’t apply to us,” Treanor said. “It’s not the First Amendment that’s the university’s guideline.” But he added, "on the other hand, the university does have a free speech and expression policy which binds us.”

Shapiro had tweeted that in his opinion, the best person Biden could nominate for the Supreme Court is Sri Srinivasan, an American of Indian descent who is currently the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Observing that Biden instead pledged to nominate a black woman, Shapiro said Srinivasan "doesn't fit into latest intersectionality hierarchy so we'll get lesser black woman."

After online backlash led by Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern, Shapiro deleted his tweet and apologized for his "poor choice of words, which undermined my message that nobody should be discriminated against for his or her skin color." He expressed confidence that an investigation by the school would determine his tweet "didn't violate any university rule or policy, and indeed is protected by Georgetown policies on free expression."

The students at the sit-in were not satisfied by Treanor's appeal to school policy on free expression.

Hochman reported that the crowd accused him of being "dishonest" and demanded action be taken against Shapiro, who was set to become the executive director of the law school's Center for the Constitution. One student reportedly suggested that the school defund the center "if, worst-case scenario," Shapiro "were allowed to remain." She insisted that the ideas expressed in his tweets can't "be divorced" from the center going forward.

“If Shapiro is there, then his ideas and his rhetoric will be the center,” she said.

Another student questioned why the center exists in the first place, noting that its current director, Randy Barnett, is a constitutional originalist.

“Why was it created?” she asked. “Because so far it seems like it has done more harm than good.”

“You can do as much diversity training as you want with staff,” she continued. “But I feel like that center has a certain ideology ... so I really want you to defend why we really need it, beyond, like, you know, free speech, and beyond diversity of opinion. I really want us to think critically about why we still need it.”

Treanor said the center is "important" and added that he wanted to "draw a line between conservatism and things that are racist," according to Hochman.

Student demands did not stop at having Shapiro fired and the center where he is supposed to work defunded. One student asked the dean to cover for the classes they had missed to attend the sit-in as part of a larger "reparations" package for black students. In a follow-up question, she asked for a designated place on campus where traumatized would-be lawyers can go to cry.

“Is there an office they can go to?” she asked. “I don’t know what it would look like, but if they want to cry, if they need to break down, where can they go? Because we’re at a point where students are coming out of class to go to the bathroom to cry.”

“And this is not in the future,” she added. “This is today.”

"Coming back to this reparations thing...I don't know if it's a couple dinners or lunches or what, but that would help us," one activist says.\n\n"We have food on the way," the dean assures her.\n\n"Oh good, okay," she says.pic.twitter.com/W8lT3hPfIF
— Nate Hochman (@Nate Hochman) 1643743168

That request was taken seriously by school administrators, Hochman reported.

"It is really, really hard to walk out of class or a meeting in tears, and you should always have a place on campus where you can go,” Dean Bailin answered. “And if you’re finding that you’re not getting the person that you want to talk to or not getting the space that you need, reach out to me anytime — anytime — and we will find you space.”

Mitch Bailin, GULC's dean of students, in response to the \u201cwhere can we cry\u201d query: \u201cIt is really hard to walk out of class or a meeting in tears, and you should always have a place on campus where you can go...reach out to me anytime\u2014anytime\u2014and we will find you space.\u201d https://twitter.com/njhochman/status/1488534446773051400\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/KquNfF2Dlf
— Nate Hochman (@Nate Hochman) 1643736363

Dr. Fauci predicts face mask requirements on airplanes will never go away: 'We should be doing it'



Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, predicted Sunday that face masks will forever be required on airplanes.

What did Fauci say?

During an interview on ABC's "This Week," host Jonathan Karl asked Fauci if "we [are] going to get to the point where we won't have to wear masks on airplanes."

In response, Fauci predicted that airline passengers will forever be required to wear face masks. In fact, Fauci made his prediction for any "closed space."

"I think when you're dealing with a closed space, even though the filtration is good, that you want to go that extra step," Fauci said.

"When you have people— you know, you get a flight from Washington to San Francisco, it's well over a five-hour flight. Even though you have a good filtration system, I still believe that masks are a prudent thing to do, and we should be doing it," he explained.

ANCHOR: "Are we gonna get to the point where we won't have to wear masks on airplanes?"\n\nFauci: "I don't think so"pic.twitter.com/Mb1IShugqJ
— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1639924772

Two airline CEOs, however, gave strikingly different testimony to Congress last week.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and Southwest CEO Gary Kelly told the Senate they do not believe face masks "add much" protection for airline passengers from COVID-19 because modern airplanes are equipped with sophisticated air filtration systems.

"I think the case is very strong that masks don't add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment. It is very safe and very high quality compared to any other indoor setting," Kelly said.

"I concur. An aircraft is the safest place you can be. It's true of all of our aircraft — they all have the same HEPA filters and air flow," Parker added.

Anything else?

During his interview, Fauci also predicted the Omicron variant will become a "significant stress" on hospital systems in the United States. However, data from South African seemingly contradict Fauci's prediction.

In fact, data show that while Omicron has led to South Africa's most significant surge in cases yet, hospitalizations and deaths have not followed — something dramatically different from previous waves.

"In South Africa, we’re thankfully seeing a striking decoupling between new Covid cases and ICU admissions and deaths," former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb noted.

In South Africa, we\u2019re thankfully seeing a striking decoupling between new Covid cases and ICU admissions and deaths. Whether #Omicron is inherently less virulent, whether this hopeful finding is result of baseline immunity in infected, or a combination of both, is still unclear.pic.twitter.com/xtmCSdpCNc
— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@Scott Gottlieb, MD) 1639945447

Meanwhile, FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver pointed out Sunday that public health officials "risk squandering credibility" if they enact restrictions because of the Omicron variant given data that suggest Omicron is "milder" than previous COVID-19 variants.

"I don't know how well it will extrapolate to the rest of the world but the South Africa data is certainly encouraging. I think it's important for public health officials and journalists to share good news as well as bad news; otherwise, they risk squandering credibility," Silver said.

"Put it like this: if Omicron *does* prove to be milder after health officials insist there's 'no evidence' it's milder—when there is evidence, just not proof—they're going to have a hell of a time getting people to take precautions for the not-so-mild Omega variant or whatever," he explained.

Put it like this: if Omicron *does* prove to be milder after health officials insist there's "no evidence" it's milder\u2014when there is evidence, just not proof\u2014they're going to have a hell of a time getting people to take precautions for the not-so-mild Omega variant or whatever.
— Nate Silver (@Nate Silver) 1639928803

The Transportation Safety Administration's face mask requirement for all transportation networks expires on March 18, 2022, but it will probably be extended further.

Joe Biden will issue 'stark warning' to unvaccinated Americans in national address on Omicron variant



President Joe Biden will address the nation on Tuesday over growing COVID-19 cases attributed to the Omicron variant, where he will issue a "stark warning" to those not vaccinated against COVID.

The national address will come at a time when scientists dispute the threat from Omicron. While the variant appears highly transmissible, the hospitalization rate in South Africa, where Omicron was first identified, suggests the case wave there has already peaked.

What are the details?

White House press secretary Jen Psaki released a statement Saturday announcing Biden's address, and she previewed what the president will say.

"On Tuesday, the President will deliver remarks on the status of the country's fight against COVID-19, as the country sees rising cases amid the growing Omicron variant," Psaki said.

"Building off his Winter Plan, @POTUS will announce new steps the Administration is taking to help communities in need of assistance, while also issuing a stark warning of what the winter will look like for Americans that choose to remain unvaccinated," she continued.

"We are prepared for the rising case levels, and @POTUS will detail how we will respond to this challenge. He will remind Americans that they can protect themselves from severe illness from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated and getting their booster shot when they are eligible," the statement added.

The White House did not provide additional details about what Biden will say, nor is it clear what "stark warning" Biden will deliver to Americans who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19.

The "Winter Plan" that Psaki cited is the Biden administration's five-pronged response to the seasonal influx of COVID-19 cases. The plan includes: promoting COVID-19 booster shots, launching family vaccination clinics, expanding access to free at-home COVID-19 test kits, expanding "surge response teams," and increasing international travel rules for people visiting the U.S.

What about Omicron?

South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla confirmed last week that while Omicron is highly contagious, data show the variant is responsible for a significantly lower rate of hospitalizations and severe infections than previous variants.

In fact, in the second week of the South African Omicron wave, only 1.7% of cases required hospitalization, compared to 19% of cases during the same period with the Delta variant.

Bloomberg News reported:

Currently there are about 7,600 people with Covid-19 in South African hospitals, about 40% of the peak in the second and third waves. Excess deaths, a measure of the number of deaths against a historical average, are just below 2,000 a week, an eighth of their previous peak.

“We are really seeing very small increases in the number of deaths,” said Michelle Groome, head of health surveillance for the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

As FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver pointed out, public health officials "risk squandering credibility" if they enact harsh restrictions because of the Omicron variant given data suggesting Omicron is "milder" than previous COVID-19 variants.

"I don't know how well it will extrapolate to the rest of the world but the South Africa data is certainly encouraging. I think it's important for public health officials and journalists to share good news as well as bad news; otherwise, they risk squandering credibility," Silver said.

"Put it like this: if Omicron *does* prove to be milder after health officials insist there's 'no evidence' it's milder—when there is evidence, just not proof—they're going to have a hell of a time getting people to take precautions for the not-so-mild Omega variant or whatever," he explained.

Put it like this: if Omicron *does* prove to be milder after health officials insist there's "no evidence" it's milder\u2014when there is evidence, just not proof\u2014they're going to have a hell of a time getting people to take precautions for the not-so-mild Omega variant or whatever.
— Nate Silver (@Nate Silver) 1639928803

BREAKING: Clinton whistleblower speaks out about 'unanswered irregularities' in 2020 presidential election

The whistleblower who leaked information about the Clinton Foundation and the Uranium One transaction is now calling out the "unanswered irregularities" in the 2020 presidential election's ballot counting.

Pollster Nate Silver admits that if Biden loses Pennsylvania, he becomes the 'underdog'



Democrats are becoming increasingly concerned about losing key swing states, including Pennsylvania. This is despite Joe Biden being up by as many as seven points in his native state, according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll. FiveThirtyEight founder and professional pollster Nate Silver revealed how crucial Pennsylvania is to Biden's path back to the White House.

During an appearance on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, Silver hinted that the entire 2020 presidential election could hinge on the results of Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania has not bumped up to a 7 or 8-point Biden lead, like we see in Michigan and Wisconsin," Silver said. "It's 5 points. It's not a big early voting state, so a lot of votes have not yet been cast in Pennsylvania."

"Among the votes that were sent in by mail, there are some provisions about a naked ballot, a security envelope," the FiveThirtyEight editor-in-chief explained. "That could make things more complicated. You could have the courts involved. You have some protests, looting in Philadelphia. There's lots of stuff going on."

"Maybe a lot of little things add up and Biden loses Pennsylvania by half a point, and then he doesn't quite pull off Arizona or North Carolina," Silver warned Democrats. "He does have other options. ... But still, without Pennsylvania, then Biden becomes an underdog."

Just days ahead of November 3, the @FiveThirtyEight presidential election forecast has Joe Biden with a 90 in 100 c… https://t.co/chPzVYfq5F
— This Week (@This Week)1604245276.0

FiveThirtyEight projects Biden to win the 2020 presidential election: "We simulate the election 40,000 times to see who wins most often." According to the site's projections, Biden wins 89 out of 100 times and President Donald Trump wins only 10 out of 100 outcomes.

Silver claiming that Biden winning the election could be contingent on one state is much different than what he said a few weeks ago.

Silver wrote on Twitter that Biden could easily defeat Trump in a landslide. Silver shared a possible electoral map where Biden wins a number of historically red states, including Texas. Silver said it is possible for Biden to collect 413 electoral votes, giving Biden the most lopsided presidential election victory since 1988 when Republican George H.W. Bush won 426 electoral votes against Michael S. Dukakis, who received only 111.

So you get a big cluster of outcomes at around Biden 413 electoral votes, which is where he wins all the toss-ups /… https://t.co/CxT9IJM8iw
— Nate Silver (@Nate Silver)1602871647.0

In 2016, Trump narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton in the battleground state of Pennsylvania by only 44,000 votes out of 6 million that were cast.

The Washington Post reported, "Biden will campaign in and near Pittsburgh on Monday, and Harris will be on the other side of the state, the campaign announced Sunday."

Adding that their spouses, Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff, will also be on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania.

"Basically, the Biden campaign is hyper-focused on PA the next 36 hours," Washington Post national politics reporter Sean Sullivan tweeted. "And Dems on the ground have grown increasingly nervous about the state in the final stage."

Lady Gaga, who posted a "pandering" and "cringe" endorsement of Biden on Saturday, will also be campaigning in Pennsylvania for the Democratic presidential nominee.